I Only Want to Enjoy Life But My Little Sister Want Me to be King

|3rd POV|

Petyr Baelish examines the report in his hand with a grin on his face. He has already received news that people from Vale are buying food from the Sun King of the Solaris Kingdom. With this information in hand, he ponders his next move.

"Should I inform the king or not?"

He knows that if he informs the king, the Seven Kingdoms will plunge into a civil war. He craves chaos—and a civil war is the ultimate form of chaos. However, he is aware that if a civil war were to break out now, it would be brief.

"There are too few people involved in this matter."

Only members of small noble houses purchase food from the Solaris Kingdom. He needs the larger houses to buy from the Solaris Kingdom instead, and he knows that with a little time, he can lure these major noble houses into doing so—even if it means buying from their enemy.

"But… I can help speed things up…"

With that thought, he begins writing a letter for his spies. He instructs them to disseminate a rumor that will worsen the situation: they must spread the word that the Royal Family is spending a massive amount of money on unnecessary luxuries.

This is true, but he makes sure to exaggerate the facts. At present, the Royal Family is already in debt to the Iron Bank, but the debt is manageable and could be repaid next year if Petyr carefully controls the money flow and faithfully performs his duties. Unfortunately for the Baratheon Dynasty, Petyr has no intention of doing that. Instead, he plans to pocket all the gold from the vault and blame it on the Royal Family's excessive spending.

When the other nobles hear this rumor, they will be more inclined to purchase food from the Sun King. And when the time comes, he will inform the king about the situation, igniting a larger civil war that will cripple the Seven Kingdoms. What makes it even more advantageous is that he knows the northern nobles will soon be the next group to buy from the Solaris Kingdom.

This will strain the relationship between the North and the Royal Family. The Stark Family will become pariahs when that happens, and his revenge will begin. He will watch as the wolf crumbles into the ground—and he will claim Cat as his own, as fate dictates.

"Or maybe her daughter as well."

=||=

Petyr is not the only one aware of the situation in the northern part of the Seven Kingdoms. Varys, too, knows about the northern Vale nobles buying food from the Solaris Kingdom—and he intends not to interfere.

Like Petyr, Varys does not support the Baratheon Dynasty. He might claim that he only wants the realm to survive, but in truth, he is backing the Black Dragon, who is due to emerge soon.

Varys, like Petyr, craves chaos to further his own cause. He must weaken the overall power of the Seven Kingdoms while bolstering that of his allies in Dorne. He is both surprised and pleased that Doran Martell has come to meet Jon Connington, who is taking care of Aegon Targaryen—the only Black Dragon remaining.

Although he does not trust the Crippled Snake, Varys plans to use him to ensure that Aegon ultimately sits on the Iron Throne. To achieve that, he must strengthen the House of Martell and ensure that Dorne has no loyalists to the current dynasty.

"Hmmm… Should I help him for a bit?"

Varys wonders as he contemplates assisting Petyr. Discrediting the royal family is an easy task for him. However, his efforts could backfire if he lacks solid ammunition to tarnish their reputation. On the other hand, if there is a valid reason behind a negative rumor, he can amplify it to devastating effect. He hums softly and slips into one of the hidden passages inside the Red Keep.

He must meet with his little birds—he needs to prepare to spread some carefully crafted rumors.

=||=

Ferrego reviews the report before him and smiles. Aligning himself with the Sun King was the best decision he ever made. He recognizes that the massive influx of income from trade alone is enough to secure his alliance with Viserys.

But that is not all. With the new security in the Narrow Sea, he can convert former patrolling ships into merchant vessels. These vessels have now become the primary suppliers of goods to Lorath and Ibben.

Moreover, he is already cultivating a strong relationship between Braavos and Yi Ti. They have become the largest supplier of Yitian Silk. Previously, the Yitians sold their goods in Volantis, but once they learned that the Solaris Kingdom was safer, offered to pay in gold, and welcomed them warmly rather than looking down on them, they chose to do business there.

The strict no-slave policy is a setback, but it is one that the Yitian merchants do not mind. They make a killing by purchasing goods from the Solaris Kingdom at very low prices and selling them at a profit in their homeland. Hiring a few servants is a minor expense compared to the enormous profits they earn.

What does this mean for Braavos? Braavos is responsible for distributing goods from Yi Ti across Westeros and Essos. Although the Solaris Kingdom might sell its goods at a markup, their prices remain far lower than those charged by the Volantians.

That is one aspect of the trade equation. Unlike many nations, the Solaris Kingdom invests its money in the Iron Bank instead of only coming to the bank to borrow money. If Ferrego does not become deeply involved with Viserys, he must at least treat him well now—given the large sums Viserys invests and stores in his bank.

He feels a twinge of apprehension when Viserys decides to open his own bank, but he breathes a sigh of relief when Viserys explains that it will be a local bank—exclusively for the citizens of the Solaris Kingdom—and not one open to international business.

Even if this bank later becomes involved in international matters, Ferrego will be long dead by then, and it will no longer concern him.

For now, he enjoys his position and wealth. Even if war comes, his family is destined to remain powerful for generations.

Truly, his arrangement with Viserys is a blessing, and he is glad he entered into it in the past.